Talk about arm twisting. News this morning from Kethimerini tells of Greece politicians reversing course and requiring negative coronavirus tests from all passengers arriving from Russia, even if they have been vaccinated with Sputnik V.
According to a decision published on the Government Gazette, all travelers arriving to Greece from Russia will as of Wednesday, June 30, need to have proof of a negative PCR test or a rapid test. This is clearly in response to EU pressure, which we reported earlier today with Cyprus news. Bloomberg just reported on Germany’s Angela Merkel criticizing Greece and other tourism-dependent countries for being open to travelers who have not been vaccinated with EMA-recognised vaccines, which they said may be less effective.
According to the story, the reversal measure came because of the spread of the Delta variant of SARS-Cov-2 in Russia, and concerns Athens has over that variant. The Delta variant has hit Crete’s capital and other destinations recently. concerns all travelers from that country, whether they have been vaccinated or not.
Russian visitors will will also have to undergo a test upon their arrival in Greece, according to the news. Just two weeks ago, Greek officials announced that Sputnik V and other vaccines not currently approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would be accepted.
Meanwhile, Greece leadership is now offering cash for young people in the country to get vaccinated. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that beginning July 15th, citizens under 26 years old can get a 150 euro incentive for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 this summer.
On an interesting note, our editor Mihaela Lica Butler has been trying to obtain a temporary AMKA in order to get the vaccine for weeks now. A Romanian and EU citizen living in the country some years now, she joins scores of other Expats who have had difficulty getting the temporary or permanence social number that allows them to be vaccinated. Now the Mitsotakis government will pay citizens to help the country be fully immunized.
Finally, Argentina’s Covid mortality rate decline by 70-80 percent after citizens were vaccinated with either Sputnik V or the AstraZeneca vaccines. In addition, the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health announced a study that showed Sputnik V is the safest vaccine against COVID-19.
